Adopting digital marketing is essential if you want to grow your self-storage customer base, retain high-value tenants, and remain competitive in the market. If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it’s the power of hand sanitizer and the importance of his presence and reputation online for a business. It was a powerful reminder that facility operators must adapt in order to be successful.

Lead generation is the lifeblood of any business and in recent years digitization has brought the self-storage industry to a new level of marketing sophistication. So consider whether your facility is ahead of its peers when it comes to digital marketing, or if you’re in danger of being left behind. In this article, let’s unpack the foundations you need to strengthen your overall strategy and make sure you’re not eating the dust of your competitors.

foundation

Staying ahead of marketing trends is no easy task, but don’t let the jabber overwhelm you. Instead, accept the following basics: They can go a long way in boosting your self-storage marketing strategy and overall business success.

Identify and understand your audience. The simplest form of self-storage as a product is space, but the reasons people use it vary widely. It’s important to understand the “life events” moments that drive storage usage and how different audiences are segmented.

use ctargeted message. Segmenting your potential customer base is essential to deliver customized and relevant messages across various digital channels. The importance of a targeted strategy cannot be underestimated.

Have a clear Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy. SEO plays an important role in driving traffic to your self-storage website and boosting your ranking on Google (a fundamental factor in rental inquiries). Today, it goes beyond content marketing, keywords, and techniques to help search engines crawl and index your website. It’s also important to set clear business goals, use data to guide your path, ensure your website delivers a great user experience, and leverage online listings like your Google Business Profile.

Take advantage of social media. Platforms such as Facebook and Instagram can be key to generating leads. That’s why it’s smart to partner with a certified digital marketing firm that can take advantage of them. Some marketers have built partnerships with these platforms and even have access to beta products through their technical and creative teams to further drive inquiries.

Social media, in tandem with SEO and other marketing strategies, gives self-storage businesses the boost they need to attract potential renters. Choosing which platform to invest in and how to deploy your content is an important first step.

Focus on mobile. Mobile traffic still dominates when potential customers browse and make decisions online. Websites that still use manual form-filling are lagging behind mobile engagement and the immediate interaction consumers now expect from their online experience.

Harness the power of data. Analyzing data can greatly increase the impact of your marketing efforts. Creating a content calendar, choosing keywords, and creating a functional website is only half the job. The other half is looking at the results and analyzing them for insight.

Marketing is no longer based on a “post and wish” mentality. We now have access to incredibly detailed data. Analytics are more important than anything else in your marketing toolbox. Somewhat clichéd, but trends are certainly on your side.

partner up. MeIf you want to remain competitive in the self-storage market and attract high-value customers, you must embrace the latest digital marketing trends. Increase your chances of success by working with a professional partner who can be agile, adapt to changing consumer behavior and understand how your targeted prospects are engaging digitally. I can. Companies that can continuously improve their marketing approach while focusing on the fundamentals that influence demand are invaluable.

Chris Oosthuizen is a UK based digital firstis a digital marketing company specializing in demand and lead generation for European self-storage operators. he also Stor-Age Property REIT, a real estate investment trust that operates self-storage in South Africa and the United Kingdom. To contact him, call 2721.671.3233. e-mail [email protected].